'This happens too frequently': South side community rallies around paletero who was harassed on Cinco de Mayo

A viral video of a vendor for Paleteria Yayo being harassed during a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Mitchell Park on Sunday has sparked outrage among community members. Now, south side residents are leading a wider conversation about how to protect street vendors.

Paleteros are a common sight on sunny days in Milwaukee and in many Mexican-American communities. They walk miles ringing their bells and pushing their carts through parks and along sidewalks to deliver their icy treats, or paletas.

To many, paleteros are a symbol of hard work and Mexican pride.

In this instance, the paletero wasn't injured, the cart wasn't damaged and nothing was stolen, said Rene Adan, co-owner of Paleteria Yayo. He said the vendor has asked to not be named.

But Paleteria Yayo's vendors are often harassed, robbed and hit while walking the streets of Milwaukee, according to Adan. This is just the first time it's been recorded, he said.

"This happens too frequently," said co-owner Galy Montes, speaking in Spanish. "We want to reach out to the community to help us find a way to stop our vendors from being assaulted."

A video of the incident shows a man in an embroidered vest run behind the vendor and push his cart onto its side while a crowd watches. The vendor trails after the man and picks up his cart.

On Monday, the man in the vest, who identifies himself as Aaron Thompson III on social media, visited Paleteria Yayo and apologized to the vendor in person while live on Facebook.

"I am here today to apologize to the Hispanic, Mexican, south side community," Thompson said in the video. "... It was a joke that went bad. We were just playing around and took it too far."

Thompson said he did not target the vendor because of his race. He did not respond to the Journal Sentinel's requests for comment Tuesday.

Adan said Thompson also purchased a few paletas from Paleteria Yayo and gave the vendor about $60 in cash.

Neither Paleteria Yayo nor the vendor have filed a police report, according to Adan. Adan said he encourages his vendors to report these incidents to police.

It is still unclear what exactly transpired during the incident. Another video that appears to take place shortly after shows the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office arresting two men and removing a gun from the waistband of one man amidst a large crowd, while someone else films.

The Milwaukee Sheriff's Department did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.

Adan says he appreciates Thompson's apology, but he wants more to be done to ensure the safety of paleteros.

"This is not something that we just stay calm and cross arms (about)," Adan said. "I'm always working with the police and with whoever I need to work with to have my guys safe."

Anthony Canareno, a Milwaukee-based makeup artist and social media influencer, said the video of the vendor broke his heart. He grew up in Milwaukee's predominantly Latino south side and appreciates the hustle of paleteros, having witnessed them walking miles in all kinds of weather.

After seeing the video, Canareno purchased $200 worth of paletas from Paleteria Yayo and gave them away to kids at Lincoln Avenue Elementary School.

"I didn't even know that street vendors get harassed like that," Canareno said. "I thought everyone had as much respect for them as I have for them."

Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez, a south side native, said he frequently hears of street vendors being attacked and robbed. He recalled Filigonio Ramirez Montes, who was shot and killed in 2020 while selling corn on the cob on the south side.

Martinez also called out anti-Black sentiment he's seen on social media since the incident. Many of the people present during the incident with the paletero were Black.

"It's really not good for our community to be pushing that narrative," Martinez said. "We still need to work together to make sure that we do what's best for our neighborhood."

Marinez said he's been speaking with Paleteria Yayo and people from the nearby Mitchell Park Domes to find solutions. One idea is to identify the locations where vendors are frequently attacked and robbed so that vendors can avoid those areas. They are also discussing placing cameras in these locations and on the paleta carts, Adan said.

La Bodega Coffee, located at 731 W. Historic Mitchell St., is throwing a fundraiser for vendors from Paleteria Yayo on Thursday night. Owner Geovanny Amador said he hopes this event will bring the community together to talk about street vendor safety.

La Bodega Coffee will collect donations to purchase Paleteria Yayo vendors resources like shoes and clothing, Amador said. There will be live music from local artist Lxchellita.

"It is a very common occurrence that, in this particular case, went viral," Amador said. "And as members of the community and as organizers, we're bringing awareness to the problem that happens a lot."

Paleteria Yayo is grateful for the community support, Adan said.

"The community is always such a great support, and hopefully, they can help us to prevent these kinds of situations," Adan said.

Gina Castro is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Reach her at gcastro@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "This happens too frequently:" Milwaukee paletero harassed on Cinco de Mayo in viral video